Hyatt Buenos Aires palace hotel Palacio Duhau

Once upon a time, before Luxury Latin America had gone live, yours truly was the very first guest to check into the Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt when it opened to guests in Buenos Aires. There were cameras with flashes going off, TV crews recording video, and Hyatt executives with a “C” on their business card. Reporters were asking me questions in that Italian-lilt Spanish I could barely understand.

My wife and I just showed up in a taxi and expected the usual uneventful check-in. We had no idea it was opening day. We felt a bit like deer in headlights.

Ten years on, Luxury Latin America is the #1 go-to website on upscale travel in this part of the world and the Park Hyatt Buenos Aires is no longer a novelty. We have grown and matured together. We seem to attract drama when we visit though. This time when one of our regular correspondents checked in to do an update, U.S. Vice-president Mike Pence was also a guest. That meant lots of security, detours, and clean-cut men in suits with earpieces.

Thus the official hotel shots you will see in our new review of the property. Trying to get a regular photo when there’s a second-in-command in the house from a major world power is not an easy thing. Fortunately the Palacio Duhua doesn’t need to manipulate their photos to make this luxury hotel look good. It’s got a real 1934 elaborate palace on one side, a modern building on the next street over, and a modern art gallery underground in between. Then on top of that gallery is a manicured outdoor garden. You can walk between the two buildings when the weather is nice, or stay inside and peruse the latest collection on the way instead.

Park Hyatt Buenos Aires art museum underground

The rooms were impressive when this Park Hyatt opened a decade ago and they’ve been property updated along the way. The quarters are less frumpy than at some historic properties and less puzzling than the modernist ones at hotels like Faena. They’re luxurious without making you work too hard.

Much of the service seems effortless here as well, with staffers that really aim to please.

There was the perfectly–made foamy cappuccinos at the hotel breakfast, a concierge who went way out of his way to help a guest score sold–out music festival tickets for her teenage daughter, and impeccable service at high tea in the Piano Nobile room, The Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt demonstrates time and time again that they understand the varied desires of their high-end clientele. It is an ideal choice in Buenos Aires for a guest who wants the refined elegance of the Alvear Palace without the pretentiousness, or who seeks the warm, personalized service of the Four Seasons with just a bit more palatial feel and history.

Naturally there are terrific dining spots between the two buildings, with a great wine selection to go with your perfectly prepared beef or seafood.

See our full review of Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt in Buenos Aires, Argentina.